


Pages in the Wind

by slotumn



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Abdicating The Throne And Having A Quarter Life Crisis, Angst and Humor, Diary/Journal, Drinking While Flying, F/M, Fluff, Lysithea Is Everyone's Little Sister, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:21:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21775930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slotumn/pseuds/slotumn
Summary: Abandoned, only being kept up so I can take a look at some of the snippets for reference/ideas.---When Lysithea rejects Claude's proposal because of her shortened lifespan, Claude abdicates the throne and sets off to find a cure.Their friends get involved, willingly or unwillingly. There's also a lot of magiscience Crestology bullshit.Story told through diary/journal entries of various characters. Post-Verdant Wind, mostly based off of character paired endings. May become a series?
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Hilda Valentine Goneril/Cyril, Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Leonie Pinelli, Lysithea von Ordelia/Claude von Riegan, Manuela Casagranda/Hanneman von Essar, Marianne von Edmund/Linhardt von Hevring, My Unit | Byleth/Sothis
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

_Lysithea_

Dear Diary, 

Claude showed up at our house today. 

He was riding on a wyvern, as expected, and simply landed on the front yard of our residence like it was nothing. I suspect he had some vassals accompanying him, but they didn't show themselves, probably to not worry my family. (How considerate.) 

He told me, and my parents, that he had something to discuss with us. We brought him to the guest room, and there we exchanged the standard preambles-- good to see you, we've heard a lot about you, thank you, et cetera. He then said, with a smile on his face, "I would like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."

When none of us said anything, he must have thought we were just surprised. He added that I've been very helpful during the war, would make a great queen, that he loves me dearly, and other such sweet things a suitor would say, then kissed my hand. 

His proposal went, "I love you, Lysithea von Ordelia. Will you marry me?" and my reply was, "I'm sorry, Claude, I can't." And I hated that I sounded so calm. 

I knew that it would be a bad idea to give him a chance to talk, so I explained everything-- the experiments, the two Crests, and most critically, the shortened lifespan. 

That I dissolved House Ordelia to make sure my parents-- and I-- would live a peaceful life away from politics, that my lineage will end with me. 

I don't think I'd ever seen that kind of expression on him before. I don't think I ever want to see it again. 

He mumbled something about how he understood, thanked us for having him, and said he should get going now. 

We accompanied him out, not saying much, but before he got on his wyvern, he hugged me. I hugged him back because he was warm and comforting, and I'd missed the timing to tell him that, despite what just went on, I loved him, too. 

I really wish he hadn't done that, because now I might regret doing the right thing.

\---

_Claude_

I've severely miscalculated, for the first time in my life. 

Not politically, because this wasn't about politics in the first place. I really do love her, with all my heart, and that's why I asked her to marry me.

Looking back, I should have noticed. How did I not notice?

I always thought that was just, Lysithea never liked being viewed as childish, so I figured that was a part of her trying to prove herself, by accomplishing more than everyone else in the same period of time.

Then again, the reason why she had that kind of mindset was...

She said it herself, that she "didn't have much time," "had to make most of my time," "can't waste a moment."

I have a million thoughts, but I won't write all of that down here. Can't get pulled into that endless spiral. I need to act. 

I can't waste time. 

\---

_Linhardt_

Entry 217

There was an unexpected visitor today. 

King of Almyra showed up at our house, saying that he needed help. Marianne was worried, wondering if some sort of emergency had broken out along the border, but Claude just said that he needed to use the library. 

He also said he wasn't the king anymore, because he'd abdicated the throne. Seems a bit irresponsible to me, but he says there's a good reason, so I decided to take his word for it.

I guess I'm not the one to talk, considering I ran away from Hevring territory to do Crest research here, but you know. 

The only downside to this is that I can't spend as much time sleeping, or with Marianne, because our guest keeps pestering me and asking me to explain Crestology terms. 

I say our guest like I'm not technically a guest in this territory as well, but anyway. 

I told him there's a dictionary for that, but he says those aren't much help when it comes to actually understanding the papers. 

Really wanna sleep right now. 

\---

_Marianne_

I am worried. Not just about diplomacy as Almyra appoints a new ruler again so soon, but also about my friends. 

Claude's been spending more time at our Crestology library (and laboratory) than even Linhardt, and although I've always known he's a harder worker than he lets on, something feels different. He is visibly agitated and desperate, and if he has ever felt like that before, he didn't let it show. 

Lysithea has also been not replying to any of my, or Hilda's letters recently. She's cheered up a lot since the war ended and laid down her titles (and responsibilities) as a noble, acting more her age (younger) and always writing letters to us about how she's catching up for lost time with her parents. 

I've also heard rumors that a group of Almyran royal wyverns headed to the now-former Ordelia territory few months ago, so I can't help but wonder if the two are related...

The servants are calling for dinner now. May the Goddess smile upon the future of Fódlan, Almyra, and my dear (Deer?) friends. 

\---

_Hilda_

I made a surprise visit to the Ordelia residence today! If Cyril was still staying over at our place, I would have asked him to steer the wyvern for me, buuut since he's back at Garegg Mach, as a student this time, I had no option but to ride one myself. Sigh. 

Her family and I drank tea, ate cake, and talked about fun, relaxing subjects such as not-politics, but I couldn't help but notice Lysithea was picking at the cake. That was a sure sign something was bothering her, on top of the fact she hasn't been replying to any of my letters. 

I hoped to cheer her up with some of the cute clothes and accessories I brought, but instead of going along with it even while saying she's "not a doll for you to play dress-up with," like she usually does, she just looked...sad, and let me style her hair without much protest.

Come to think of it, I've seen her frustrated, angry, annoyed, or impatient, both during the Academy and the war, but I've never seen her look downtrodden. 

I figured that must mean she had a problem that she hadn't dealt with back in those days, so I wrecked my brain for what a smart, precocious, studious girl like her might not have dealt already with, and came up with, love problems.

She always said that she had no time for love back at the Academy, and that must have been because both she was so focused on studying, and being too young to be interested in such things. And during the war, well, that's not the best time to flirt and romance people (although that didn't stop me from trying to charm a certain adorable little church boy). 

I decided it would be the best to not bring up the matter in too heavy of a manner, and said, "You know, Lysithea, now that you're finally turning into a woman, if you've got your eyes set on someone and ever need any love advice, you can always ask me!" in a fairly casual tone while patting her head. 

I expected her to something like, "What do you mean, I'm "finally" turning into a woman, I came of age years ago!" but she stayed mostly silent while big fat ears rolled down her face, before opening her mouth and saying "Th-that's not going to be necessary," in a shaky voice. 

It was shocking, to be honest, because you don't get reactions like that with just any love trouble, from my experience. It's usually reserved for heavy things like...one side passing on earlier than the other, or not being able to be together because of some unchangeable, unfortunate circumstances, or proposing and getting rejected, or other such awful things a sweet girl like her shouldn't have to go through. 

Prying wouldn't have improved anything, though, so I just let her cry into my dress for a while. 

Lysithea said she felt a bit better after that, so we finished up some of the sweets and tea that was left over from earlier. And I even managed to convince her to keep her hair in twintails for the rest of the day! It was adorable. 

I originally intended to make this a one-day visit, but her parents invited me to stay for a week, so I suppose I'll use this opportunity to figure out what's going on, and more importantly, who made her cry like that! 

Hilda out ♡

\---

_Lorenz_

I absolutely cannot believe the audacity of that man. 

And by "that man" I mean Claude von Riegan, former classmate, fellow noble, valuable ally, and, a friend. 

I was rather shocked when he suddenly announced that he will go to Almyra to be crowned king rather than stay in Fódlan, but that was fair enough, considering that we already had a figure perfectly fit to be the ruler of this new united continent. If Claude were to be crowned King of Almyra and foster better relationships with us for this new age, then that is all a good and noble cause, is it not?

I even adviced him on the matters of finding a queen-- that he should seek out someone who is wise, but different from him in such ways that she can offer new perspectives he would not have considered otherwise. 

Politically speaking, an Almyran queen would have been the best choice, as that would help bridge the gap between those who still saw him as an outsider, but he strongly implied that he was considering one of our former classmates, so I told him that she should at least be willing to understand and accept the culture of another land. 

In retrospective, I suspect that Claude must have already made that particular decision before the war ended. 

Still, abdicating the throne so soon and running off to Goddess-knows-where like that...has he no sense of shame or responsibility? Right when I had gained much respect for him, too! 

I have the utmost sympathy for Lysithea. I doubt she turned him down because she disliked him (quite the opposite, in fact), and I don't see things going well when the news of the abdication reaches her ears...

Now, I must get going as Leonie is implying she will shoot an arrow at me if I do not join her mercenaries for a "cookout." I will update and continue my thoughts later. 

Lorenz Hellman Gloucester. 

\---

_Ignatz_

We had a mini-class reunion today at the Kirsten Inn, by complete accident. 

Lysithea and her family, plus Hilda, were already staying here here a few days as part of "Hilda's vacation and tour package," but Lorenz, escorted by Leonie and her mercenaries, also showed up and said they will be staying for a few days, too. Apparently they're on their way to Edmund territory, to discuss diplomatic matters. I'm sure they'll say hi to Marianne for us. 

Raphael and Maya were pleased, both to see them and because those two always paid well, whether that was for the inn stay (Lorenz) or the taverns (Leonie). 

As usual, Lorenz keeps telling Leonie that it's not very distinguished and behaved of her to drink that much, but Leonie always shoots back asking why that matters when she's not some dainty noble lady. Then Lorenz says a mercenary company who escorts a noble should at least try to behave during their contract, Leonie says he's just afraid he'll get out-drunk by her. 

It's an adorable sight. Maybe I should paint it and give it as a surprise gift for their (eventual) wedding?

Lorenz also tipped us off on some new tax policies that will be coming soon, as well as some other political changes that may affect commoners directly. 

One topic that was conspicuously missing, though, was about Claude and Almyra. Or specifically, Claude. Thanks to the updated trade policies, we can expect more Almyran merchants (including ones with rare pigments!) to pass through the area, and so on, but the usual praise about Claude that accompanied it was missing...I hope nothing bad has happened. 

Hilda also keeps trying to convince me to become a teacher at her academy when it opens up, but I think I'll have to decline. I think educating new artists are a great thing to do, but I don't think I'm quite that good enough yet. If I'm going to be a teacher as well as a painter, I'd like to to do it well, just like Professor Byleth. 

...I know it's a high shot considering Professor's actually an avatar of the Goddess and also the Queen, but you get the point. 

I just heard Lysithea screaming. I think Raphael is sprinting around the inn at full speed while giving her a piggyback ride. Again. 

I better go before she blows something/someone up afterwards. 

\---

_Leonie_

I'm not usually a journal-keeping type, but I heard something weird today, so I figured I should write it down. 

We arrived at the Edmund manor today, and Linhardt (he may as well change his surname to von Edmund at this point) said something like, you've arrived a day late, Lorenz, Claude already took off yesterday with all the papers. Missed your chance to scold him. 

Lorenz always says that it's necessary for nobles to sometimes have secret meetings and arrange things that way (I think it's bullshit, if you're gonna do something, be straightforward about it), but this didn't sound like one of those "informal formal meetings" our higher-up friends often do. 

It sounds like he stayed at the manor for a good while, doing some sort of research, and the "papers" he took off with is probably one of those fancy academic papers, not one of those...also fancy political treaties and letters. 

And I appreciate that Claude's a guy who's not too caught up in formalities despite being in high positions, but still, what the hell was the King of Almyra doing, informally (as in actually informally) staying in a different country for days?

What's weirder is that Lorenz seemed to have an idea about what was going on. He muttered something about "irresponsible stunt-pulling behavior" and asked where Claude went. 

Linhardt refused to answer, saying he was paid in Crest research material to keep it a secret.

...Man. What's up?

\---

_Byleth_

Claude appeared at the monastery in the middle of the night. He tried to pretend he's okay, but he clearly wasn't, because he was drunk and there's no way a monarch of a country shows up to another one's palace unannounced like that under normal circumstances. 

I told him to not drink while flying, and he replied that he abdicated the throne. He assured me that the transition of power will be smooth and that the improved relations will continue, and all that was all nice to hear, but I was more worried about his personal well being. 

Claude normally isn't the type to let himself show things like desperation, but now he practically radiated it. I didn't want to pry, however, so I tried to figure out what the problem could be in my head while I had him transferred to a guest room. 

Wife chimed in saying I was an idiot for not noticing that was clearly heartbreak, but I don't believe lacking romantic experience (save for the Goddess in my head) necessarily makes me an idiot.

If it is romantic troubles, however, then I know why he's here. He must be looking for ways to find a cure for Lysithea. 

I am no Crestologist, so I cannot make any guarantees, or even assurances, but I will do everything in my power to help those two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If only Hilda knew how right she was.jpg


	2. Chapter 2

  
_Hanneman_

Some excellent new Crestology papers have arrived today. It appears that Linhardt has accumulated quite a collection in the Edmund residence's private library/laboratory. 

A former student of the Academy, Claude von Riegan, was the one who delivered it to us, and he gave a rather generous sum of donations, a sample of his blood, and a request along with it. He wanted us to hasten our research on Crest implementation and removal (mostly removal). 

Although I would also like nothing more than for this project to reach fruition and become widely applied at an earlier date, I also had to warn him that nothing is guaranteed, even with the best efforts. He looked rather crestfallen at this, but if I promised miracles that could not be delivered, I would be a scammer, not a scholar. 

But aside from the matters of scientific integrity, I had to ask why he was suddenly so invested in this research. Claude was always sharp, but his focus was never specifically on Crestology. I suspected that something personal was on the line all of a sudden, and sure enough he told me (after some questions and apprehension) that he needs to find a cure for Lysithea von Ordelia, another former student. It appears that he has found out about her shortened lifespan recently. 

I applaud this young man's capacity for action, if nothing else. If I had such drive and courage all those years ago, perhaps a few less people would have suffered.

There are several challenges, however. 

First is that removing Crests are generally looking to be far more difficult than implementing them. Filter method has been more or less deemed impossible, yet dissolver injection method could be outright fatal. 

Second is that we have not been able to map the molecular structures for Crest of Charon, due to the lack of samples. I only have myself to blame for this, as I should have requested Catherine to provide one last batch to study before she left for Dagda, but alas.

I shall be working several extra hours a day for a good while, to put more effort into working around these challenges. Most of the repetetive work, such as creating and analyzing individual Crest samples, are already being done by research students, so perhaps it is about time I spend more time on the larger picture. 

Manuela may not be pleased at this, but I would personally consider it getting even for all the times I had to clean up after her drinking habits.

\---

_Felix_

People have been gossipping and asking me annoying questions all day. 

Official announcement about a new king arrived from Almyra this morning, Claude abdicated the throne and is suddenly here at Garegg Mach, did something happen, do you know anything, Felix? 

I don't. Yes, we were in the same class for a bit, we fought in the same army, but I've never talked to him all that much. He's a good leader and a strong fighter, that's all I knew and all I needed to know. 

As for why he suddenly abdicated the throne, well, that's not my business, either. I can guess he's going through some shit, looking at how he attempted to fly a wyvern while drunk earlier, but that's about it, and I have no plans to interfere all of a sudden. What am I supposed to do, challenge him to spar me and attempt to have a heart-to-heart afterwards? Not happening. 

Going to eat dinner with Annie now. 

\---

_Annette_

Professor Hanneman told us that Crest and Magic Research Initiative got an increase in funding today, thanks to Claude!

I'm super excited-- of course Professor Byleth always supported the initiative well, but this time the focus is going to be on application. Professor Hanneman always laments that there's so much more to do, but I think what we already found can still be put to plenty of good uses. 

This means I'll be busier, of course. Being a student, a teacher, and a researcher at the same time is hard! But that's what makes it worth doing. And if I use this chance well, that's going to get me that much closer to having my thesis written, defenses passed, and becoming tenured professor Dr. Dominic. You can do it, Annie! 

One thing I'm not sure about, though, is why Claude suddenly showed up here after stepping down and donated to our research, with a specific request/goal, even. I'm grateful, I really am, but...it's been a little over a year since he took the throne. Did he really get everything he wanted accomplished in that short period of time? It doesn't seem likely, but then again uniting Fódlan didn't, either, so I suppose he could have...

Still, drunk-riding a wyvern is dangerous. Hopefully he doesn't do that again, at least not around the students!

That's it for today, I'm going to eat something yummy with Felix now~

\---

_Cyril_

I couldn't use the training grounds today because Professor Felix and Claude were busy sparring and arguing, at the same time. 

Actually, it was less arguing and more one-sided intimidation and interrogation on Professor Felix's side.

The exact exchange went something like: 

"Why are you interested in all that magic research all of a sudden, and who do you think you are to suddenly show up here and demand that the researchers do what you want?"

"Woah, woah, calm down, Felix. Seriously, trust me when I say I have a good reason."

"Good enough to make Annette lose even more sleep than she already has?"

"If that's how you feel about her, then I'll tell you that-- that I'm doing this for similar reasons, too."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Professor Felix can be such a...I don't know if there's a word for a guy who loves his wife (don't know if they're officially wed, they may as well be) a little too much, but if there is, that. He did have a point, though, it was pretty weird Claude showed up here outnof nowhere. But he donated for a good cause, can't complain, personally. 

He also talked to me later and apologized for both taking up the training grounds and for all the wyvern business (I was on stable duty). Apparently it was just a coincidence that the messengers carrying the news arrived almost on the same day as him, because he actually left before them. 

I didn't mind either of those too much, but maybe he feels like he owes me something because I'm Almyran. Honestly, he doesn't have to. I don't feel much attachment to Almyra and he's not the king of the country anymore, so...you know. 

And for the short time he was king, I heard he still managed to get a lot of reforms through and made life better for many people. That's enough, isn't it? Lady Rhea always said that people should do what they can do best in the time and place they've got. Claude did that just fine, as far as I can tell. 

On that note, I should go finish up the rest of my assignments and maybe reply to Hilda. She says she's learned to ride a wyvern (good), and will be visiting Garegg Mach to pester me if I don't write back (not good), so I will do what I can to spare myself of...that really embarassing thing, where she keeps burying my face in her chest as a form of "Fódlan greeting." (I'm pretty sure such thing doesn't exist.)

\---

_Seteth_

Little over than a year after Byleth and Claude's ascent to the throne, Almyra once again has a new ruler. It seems that I will be splitting my time to help Byleth through the upcoming ceremonies and negotiations in between church reforms.

I volunteered out of my own will, but assisting the head of both the church and state is still not an easy affair. Garegg Mach was already multifunctional back in its monastery and academy days, but now it is also a palace and a research institute on top of that, and the logistics only seem to be getting more complicated by the day. 

And despite the mountain of paperwork on my desk, I ended up drinking with both Byleth and Claude earlier this evening. Originally the duo had intended to drink by themselves, but considering that they have a habit of casting fishing hooks at people or doing arrow trick shots upside down on a wyvern while intoxicated, I couldn't help providing a little extra oversight. 

It seems that I was correct to, as Claude is clearly going through a life crisis at the time. 

What I could gather from his drunk ramblings was that he needed to find a cure for someone, and believed he couldn't do it while also carrying out his duties as king, so he thought it would be better to pass the throne and set out on the quest in his own. He did his best to make sure everything went smoothly, but apparently he still has doubts about whether any of that was a good idea, especially since he's unsure whether the cure exists or not.

Byleth assured him by saying that he made the correct decision and that she'll do her best to help him find this cure (how?), but I am not sure how much of that got through to him. 

By end of the night, Claude eventually passed out drinking, and I had to clean up after him. (Byleth was able to walk, if not particularly gracefully.) I will have to lecture him on the dangers of excessive drinking later, but as I transported him back to his guest room, I could not help but be reminded of my younger days. 

It is too late for regrets, but sometimes I still wonder what could have been, had I acted upon the desire to abandon the battlefield and take my wife and daughter away somewhere safe, the war be damned. The thought occured thousands, tens of thousands of times in my head, but I was foolishly a slave to my so-called duty. 

I would be lying if I said I didn't dread the additional complications the change in Almyran leadership will bring, but on the other hand, I also cannot help wishing Claude the best in whatever he's planning to do for his loved one(s), if it's important enough for him to give up the duties he was once so passionate about. 

\---

_Claude_

I have a massive headache and an even bigger load of embarassment from the past few days.

It's not like me to get embarassed, but then again, it feels like I sort of haven't been myself recently. Goddesses, if I was like this back in Almyra or the Alliance, I definitely would have gotten torn to bits by hawk-eyed vultures. 

There isn't much to say on situation, except that none of this going to be easy. 

Of course I expected it, but hearing Professor Hanneman explain it, scientifically, out loud, was another thing. I know he just wanted me to know the odds, because where would I be without my ability to calculate those, but it still felt like a goddamn punch to the gut. 

The silver lining, I suppose, is that learning the details of what the Slitherers did to Lysithea made me even more glad that we thoroughly destroyed them and their base.

I do wonder if they also had some resources that could help us remove Crests, back in Shambhala, but no use thinking about that now.

Tomorrow I'm going to stop moping around and start making more travel preparations. Hanneman said that the lab is missing the sample for Crest of Charon (from someone who only had one Crest), and that the only person currently known to bear the Crest, a.k.a. good ol' Thunderbrand Catherine, is somewhere in Dagda right now with Shamir. 

An institute under the royal palace won't be able to send people to search a different continent without bringing up some diplomacy issues, but there should be no problem with an unassociated individual doing it.

Speaking of which, I'm really glad that Teach recruited Petra to our class all those years ago. Not only because she would have been a nightmare to fight on the battlefield, but also because I know she and Shamir know each other-- and I'm guessing that the ex-Seiros Knights duo stopped by Brigid on their way to Dagda, so if Petra knows where they were going, then I can do a bit less wild goose chasing.

But if that doesn't work, well, I already have experience doing wild chases in a foreign continent, don't I. This one can't be more difficult than that. 

And even if it is, I won't give up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Claude has a quarter-life crisis and keeps flying wyverns while drunk, then conveniently leaves all of those details out in his own journal entry: the chapter.
> 
> Also Garegg Mach is now a palace on top of a monastery, and possibly a graduate school as well. Poor Annie is the fantasy equivalent of graduate student now. Sorry, Annette.


	3. Chapter 3

_Lysithea_

Dear Diary, 

The vacation around the former Alliance territories was a bit tiring, but very fun. We visited every single grand library, museum, bakery, and historical sites on my list, which I've been carefully curating for a while. 

Of course I've been to lots of places around Fódlan during the Academy and the war, but it was different this time, since I didn't have to fight-- only enjoy. 

Even Ailell's lava floors looked beautiful now that I only had to admire from a distance. (I initially wanted to go see the rumored workshop of Morfisian alchemists who supposedly lived there, but the location turned out to be far more treacherous than it seemed on the map, so we decided to not risk it.)

I told Hilda I wanted to repay her for this, but she says that won't be necessary, as long as I keep letting her play dress-up with me. So in all practicality, that's the payment.

...That reminds me, the last time she came over to make me try on her dresses and accessories, she told me that I could always come to her for love advice. I suppose I would have thanked her under other circumstances, but that day I just ended up crying, like a little kid would. 

I'm grateful she didn't ask why, because I don't know how I would have explained. 

To be honest, I've been having some awful dreams since then. Not awful like those nightmares about experiments, but something else entirely. 

I keep dreaming about Claude getting married. 

Mostly to someone who wasn't me, which was bad enough, but sometimes, it was another version of me who hadn't turned him down. That was much, much worse. 

How could they, how could we, smile like that when we were only setting ourselves up to be heartbroken later? Why did he always say things like, "However much time you have left, I'm going to make you happy, so it'll be alright"? 

I'm the one who rejected him, for Goddesses' sake! And I don't play immature mind games like saying one thing and hoping for another, either. It won't work, that's the end of that.

And I'm trying not to regret it, I really am, dear diary. Because once I start regretting that, I'm going to start doing the same for everything else in my life. All the times I missed out on typical things a girl my age should have done. All the times I wasn't honest with myself, for the sake of some greater cause. It's an endless pit, and I have to avoid that. 

Besides, what I'm doing right now is making up for lost time. It's a good life, doing what I want to do, spending time with Mama and Papa. I don't have any complaints! I really don't! 

So I swear, I'm not going to write about any of that from here on.

Besides, I have a conference to prepare for. I don't have time to mope. 

\---

_Sylvain_

My dear lady Ingrid tells me that I need to actually use this journal instead of letting it rot beneath documents and my collection of "improper (a.k.a. extremely cultured)" magazines, so I am writing this on the off chance she actually gets impressed and generously gifts me a warm smile instead of the usual cold shoulder. Maybe she'll even consider wearing those cat ears and smallclothes I bou

She just read the above entry and decked me, told me to start over with something less "stupid." Animal ear lingerie sets are actually a very intelligent topic, in my opinion, but I'm not gonna try to argue with the woman who commands our house's knights. 

The first Royal Continental Magic and Crestology Conference (Goddess, that's a long-ass name) was held this week in Fhirdad, so I'll write about that. 

Pretty much everyone who's casted a bit of magic back in the war was invited to present-- even me. Professor Byleth told me I had a talent for it, but I ended up only using it as a side. They still insisted that I do something, so Dorothea, Lorenz and I gave the opening speech. 

Dorothea then ran off to Brigid with Ferdinand without staying for the later days. Apparently they're determined to kick back and enjoy a good vacation before they get their asses kicked by work following the next House of Lords meeting. (New king in Almyra, gotta do diplomacy, et cetera cetera.)

I went to see Linhardt and Professor Hanneman's presentations on Crests on the second and third day. They say they're making progress on implementing Crests, but not on removing them. Having both options would be nice, but I suppose having only one or the other doesn't matter if it can get people to stop obsessing over bloodlines.

Another interesting thing I heard was that it would hypothetically possible for someone to have multiple Crests via implementation. They said it would also come with major health issues, because having more than one type of Crest molecules is too much for human blood to handle and all that, but it can be done. 

Even without the negative consequences, though, I personally can't imagine why anyone would ever want two Crests. Sure hope nobody tries that in real life. 

What else was memorable...

There was a big chart in the halls, displaying the molecular structures various Crests. It was a strange feeling, looking at the source of all the misery and strife in the past millenium dissected and demystified down to the molecular level like that. Out of all the known Crests, only four were missing-- Crests of Seiros, Blaiddyd, and Charon. We're not expecting to see the first two again anytime soon. 

And I don't want to go down that rabbit hole too far, but if Dimitri and Edelgard are watching us up there, I hope it brings them some measure of peace to see that we really are trying to change the world for better.

I do wonder why they don't have the Crest of Charon analyzed, though. Catherine's ran off to Dagda, but Lysithea's still here, right? Maybe she's been too busy to donate a sample or something, Goddess knows she always keeps herself occupied with something. 

Speaking of samples, on the last day, Linhardt came and bothered me into giving him a blood sample right there at the lobby while I was talking to Marianne and Lorenz about some political shit during a break. I suggested asking Hanneman to send some, since I already donated plenty at the Garegg Mach labs, but he says he can't be bothered to go through that process. He also insisted on turning away while I drew blood and using opaque bottles to store it, because the sight of blood makes him sick.

He then tried to do the same thing to Lorenz, but got turned down on the basis that he already got one "last time." Does Linhardt just go around regularly harassing people into giving him samples for Crest research? Marianne seemed totally used to it, so maybe he does. Strange guy.

And that's all for this entry. Gotta go read a mountain of documents for the House of Lords meeting now. A lot of them are from, or about, the new Almyran king. 

Boy, I already miss having an old classmate as the neighboring monarch, we didn't have to go through all this shit when everyone already knew each other. Guess politics is more complicated than "war ends and everyone lives happily ever after," who knew. 

But hey, at least Ingrid will still love me, even if I get wrinkles on my handsome face from squinting at all these papers. 

\---

_Marianne_

The Fhirdad conference went quite well. I haven't had time to study magic ever since I've begun helping Father with governance, so it was a good opportunity to catch up on the field. 

There's been so many new developments in just the past year...it barely seems like the same subject I'd studied at the Academy, but that's a sign that things are moving forward, I hope.

Linhardt's presentation on molecular Crest interactions won the audience vote for Most Notable Breakthrough, and he won one of Professor Hanneman's newest devices as a prize. I'm very proud of him. And to think he originally debated not going because it would cut into his sleep time!

I also managed to discuss some political matters with Sylvain and Lorenz in my spare time. We're all expecting the next House of Lords meeting to revolve around foreign diplomacy. From what little information we have, the new king sounds like an agreeable enough person, but he's also very different from Claude. 

I can't help feeling a little bit nervous...but I must believe that we will do well and ensure this new peace lasts. 

May the Goddess watch over us. 

\---

_Lorenz_

A letter from Claude arrived today. 

It was written some time ago, likely around when he abdicated, but apparently he requested that it be sent after all the official announcements went out. The contents detailed various infomation about Almyra's new king that he thought would be useful to us. 

I appreciate the move, but I wonder why I'm the one who got this letter. Or perhaps he's also sent something similar to other lords and Professor as well-- you never know with him. 

Reading it, I was glad to see that King Safa, one of Claude's cousins, is indeed a good and honest man, but the part where he requests a duel with everyone before making negotiations is somewhat concerning. Is that an Almyran tradition? How much we will we have to accomodate for that when we meet in person? 

Claude also mentioned that this man used to seriously challenge him in a battle to death for the throne, as a positive. The implication is that asking to fight head on is better than trying to assassinate him, but reading that sent a chill down my spine regardless. It's quite a relief that they're on good terms now. 

Thankfully, the rest of this new king's quirks, like being extremely deadpan or mercilessly teasing his magically proficient queen at the risk of getting blasted to bits, sounds quite manageable, as it's nothing I haven't seen before. Blood does not lie, I suppose. 

Speaking of which, it's almost certain that Lysithea found out about Claude-- likely at the conference, because she seemed perfectly fine at the beginning but was awfully deflated by the end, and not just because it was a busy venue. It was bound to happen sooner or later, but seeing her so visibly distraught and flinching at every mention of Almyra or her former king was still unfortunate. 

I did offer help when I spotted her mixing salt into her fifth cup of coffee at the concession stand, but she snapped at me for "treating her like a child." (If I was doing such a thing, I would have told her to stop while she was on her second or third cup of coffee.)

I also more or else confirmed something I've been suspecting about her for a while-- that she has an extra Crest. 

House Ordelia was originally split from House Gloucester, so I always thought it was rather strange that she had a Crest associated with Charon, a far away territory. Other Crest-bearing bloodlines marrying into the house could be an explanation, but that hadn't happened in House Ordelia for a while, as far as I was aware.

She's also borrowed the Thyrsus a few (many) times in the war, and it hasn't harmed her-- in fact she was quite proficient with it, as if it was her own from the start. The only possible explanation is if she has a Crest of Gloucester. 

Professor Hanneman's presentation at the even brought up that it's "hypothetically possible" for someone to have multiple Crests via implementation, but at the cost of health. Considering who presented it, I believe there was more than just "hypotheticals" there. 

And in conjunction with that, Lysithea once told me that she would not live long. 

Hearing that our youngest and most brilliant friend (who was also like a little sister to many of us) was resigned to a short life was...tragic beyond words, truly, and I regret how I acted to her before that, but the subject was never brought up again. Even if it was, I would not have known how to approach it. I still don't. 

That must be why she hid it to most people, even Claude-- who must have found out only recently and is trying to help her, judging by news of his sudden donation to Crest research. 

It's a complicated situation, and the fact I cannot do much to help (at least not directly) is most regrettable. But I do wish them the best as a friend, and it's relieving to confirm that Claude has done his best to minimize any potential problems, contrary to my prior harsh thoughts. 

I do not have the same fond feelings about the pile of documents on my desk right now, many of which concern a certain neighboring king's sudden abdication.

...No use getting irritated and lamenting in a private journal. I must return to my tasks. At the end of the day, keeping this hard-won peace is what we all want, and that takes work. 

Lorenz Hellman Gloucester

\---

_Leonie_

Well, fuck me, a lot's happened since the last entry. 

Claude's suddenly ran off from being Almyra's king to god knows where, and right now we're working with House Goneril to ensure nothing bad happens at the border. I heard the new king is basically wants to continue all of Claude's foreign/trade policies, but that's never stopped lowlifes from taking advantage of the situation.

Nothing major has happened, though, aside from a few skirmishes with bandits and pirates. And Hilda's brother pays us well, so I guess it's a win-win. (House Gloucester better step up their game!)

I wonder what/why the hell Claude is doing out there, though. He better have a damn good reason for all this. Maybe I've let Lorenz rub off on me, but if you're the king of a country, you're not supposed just run off like that without a good explanation. Situations like these have the biggest impact on common folks who rely on business from trade routes and such. 

I mean, I know he's a good guy, he probably took all that into consideration as well, but still.

Ah well, the best thing I can do is to keep doing my job and send it back to the village. Better watch my tavern tabs this month. 

\---

_Linhardt_

Entry 221

The Crest molecule concentrator works really well. It saves a lot of time spent on tedious repetitive stuff, which is great, because I don't need to wake up in middle of the night to turn over samples. 

Everything's already set up for the mice experiments, so I'll start as soon as I paint all the syringes opaque and stock up on anti-vomit medicine. 

The things I do for research. 

Blood is one thing, but working with live animals isn't my forte, either. Marianne's better with that stuff, but I can't ask an animal lover to conduct those kinds of experiments. 

Still, this could be an opportunity to find out about some of the biggest questions I've had. Like whether Crests from transfusions can still be passed down to offsprings. I assume that's how I got mine, considering Flayn (Cethleann) was pretty adamant on never having reproduced, but we'll see. 

Professor Hanneman also told me at the conference that we might get access to Crest of Charon sample sometime in the future. Apparently Claude's ran off to Dagda to find Catherine just for that. I have a feeling the whole thing is supposed to be a secret, but at any rate, if he succeeds, that would be a big help.

As for why he's doing that, well, I usually don't like talking about other people's personal lives and relationships, but this is definitely about Lysithea and her two Crests. Didn't know those two were that close, but it's not too surprising. They make a nice pair. 

And I hope something good does come out of this. I don't want to see a friend die early because of Crests after surviving everything that came before. She seems pretty resigned to it, especially after hearing that Crest removal is looking to be more difficult than implementation, but I think it's too early to give up. 

There's more than one way to skin a cat (or rather a mouse, in this case), after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In other words, Lorenz has 100 perception. I do think he would be likely to piece together that Lysithea has two Crests if we reflect the in-game mechanics about her using Thyrsus. 
> 
> And Sylvain turned out wordier than I thought.


End file.
